The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-27
A SPLENDID ILLUSION.
THE STRIDES TAKEN IN THE ART
OF STAGE SETTING.

Henry Irving No Longer Master OF the Field
The Beauties OF Notable Plays and OPP
eras Produced In New York this Year.
The art for the mastery Of which Henry
Irving won the lesser half Of his reputation
was that Of realistic stage setting, or the close
approach to fact and nature In theatrical seem
cry and stage appointments. He used people
to assist In this reproduction-as. forinstance,
whore tho registering young men who have
nothing else to do with the play roll across the
stage In the night scene In " Shylock," after
J Jessica has run of with her lover. and again
where the village maidens troop forth into the
st. Lorentz Platz in Faust" having nothing
else to do with the piece than to people q street
as II naturally would be in front OF a church at
the time Of morning service. But 1t is In this
very play Of Faust" Irving's latest and great
est effort toward perfect theatrical illustration,
that the means are afforded us for a compare
son Of our methods and his. with the re-
suit that we see that the initiative managers Of
New York have taken his cue and distanced
There never could have been. either in the
than those. in "Ths Old Homestead" WSere
VT 1' a house USE" that is sA a house, a " FRAME;
s%pouting real water, q barn, and all the other
details IL t sSxee sIaI p0ssisl " The iss p9 psalTya that might lEha
next act. d~iscioses a parior in q bankers house
in New York, with precisely the same fidelity
broadway, opposite Grace Church. with q letter
box. letter carrier, policeman, apple. woman,
Citizens that might be met there. including q
many others. Scarcely less is to be SAID d of the
is as nearly perfect as anything Irving has ever
But the greatest progress known to New
York is that seen on the stage Of the Metropoli:
@"TThe Prophet" last Year viii recall the mirror.
like veracity of the stage. arrangements In
ths scene in Ir S9iTresp9SnFa anstd to ,b the German st; Lor remit
fike assembly Of stage figures merely to move
In THE Prophet" men and women In hun
dreds trooped upon the stage In costumes more
gorgeous and costly, as a whole, than were ever
The opera house managemenIt has optdone
itself IN the presentation q "Siegfried" first
present season. Ali who have seen It agree
that in this production all past efforts. even in
one Of wagner''s, and is sung by only eight per-
sons. two Of whom are not seen. SO that there
4 no s masds'a effects ct ps %ss9 all Is Be i prpdased H. By exc fSs
veil they Succeeded IS, indicated BY the fact
stag m. Manager nasare lw iRels planned edc What siN they c carr ies
out three times during the Saturday matinee.
a dwarf, Who is a BLACKSMITH. works and lives
with q godlike youth for a companion. The
S SsS SDn I1lis 1hf iGI ngss, Of seS s .Sistns j. has sn sId lss
ported By, a massey column that rises on the
painted. Though they are either canvas or
cardboard. no one who seesthem and possesses
stand on the stage. with the knowledge that
SE%ersrtioRS to say that . one my must lo. 60 to 1.-THE t6e
eanis heat. a RTimitiye blacksmith's forge
it is a huge. bellows. and beside 1t
q trough scooped out Of a log; Near the cen.
a at eo on q Of stone Stone, e on u cha a great e p skin serves rves
dawn q history. me mouth Fl the cave Is on
try, Beginning with. a peliucid pool france
s Taaa se'A Beyond Son S ali Is " Vast t forest ore a'a Of giant amt
trees. through u rift in whose foliage the far
ai IN the v course 81 III the sp Performance this scene
in the ftful, Vicious, binding Glare. OF a myriad
t t1ass sieS VI Of li soani T'h In b RISEEslniki hhdds s;a apf Is IN a
masterpiece Of eontortion-a tall, big, man,
80 nearly covered with bristly hail, as to look
like a huge winMdow brush endowed with
Is the handsome Herr Away tho aH't tenor S..T Tobed
merely in q skin, Sc, that he displays his
ststussage limbs and head after a man
i %aR 'G Gss Of Th' oof fSEs' and ai' It's IL a ,a% Hsa'
ually. throwing ruddy. inconstant shadows on
the rocks. Iron and tools and goal are sent
sosth f Hssu 4 b Tas Sv sword 1es sath she t 1rsi illi mss
In q crucible and melts them, heats the pieces
Of the sword white heat, YIELDS them, and beats
hammer. The blows scatter sparks in profu-
sion over the anvil and into the air precisely as
electricity or some other foreign force. When
ever it. It is NECESSARY the hot tire irons Is are Ie,I plunged
traordiIary. It is a woodland bit at early
t hSth the air oy Sninanaf is all Almost S,a i iiterali ~ f GGns 81
foliage not Of, Of GG PAINTED &c sheets such as Irving
nor Of perforated ,hangings Of green cloth such
as we may see in a popular piece played by
cut out singly and attached to twigs projecting
from branches that grow out Of boughs. There
and they and the branches and tree trunks
Gre Great ss 1ss tqSnks be eatH IN The s ID az tss Waos:
land opening, and one huge mogui Of the forest
rises In the foreground, displaying q trunk SO
enormous that a large man appears beside it as
graph pole. Under the tree boughs in the back
Of the scene is q small, black-mouthed cave.
cave and the footlights the flooring Of the scene
slants like the side Of a hill, and is dotted with
gnarled tree roots. fallen tree trunks, and rocks
and plants.
Very strange effects are produced with lights
In these woods. For instance. a sort Of god or
s4perhuman being appears, preceded by 2 halo
the forest glow before him. Again. daylight
brighter every instant. until one has seen the
brill briiiiapn ass Of eaG gay 1n @o anfn 81 ffhiiss eject Sssn and nc tie the
manner Of producing it are new to the New
ne gradual ,acc9mulatien Of strong
AZ last the fierce sunlight beats through the
leaves, and they are at the Same time 80 stirred
CLINT Of broken sun rays AMI. the earth is merry
with the dancing shadows OF the foliage. The
music, which Is Of course insessant. Is Of the
progress OF the play is illustrated or explained
by music ~ ELOQUENT as Language. NTH tho
like youth, Sieatried. imagines that they, desire
them on 2 whistle that he fashions from a reed
tries to talk with them through the little silver
horn he carries. He knows this is futile.
The music that he makes. most charming to
human ears, disturbs the dragon asleep in tho